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Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Microsoft Games Global Marketing team fromgamerscoreblog.com is on the road with GSB Road Show '07, meeting community members in different cities across North America. It's by invitation only so I felt really honored to personally meet and play with people who make our Xbox 360 experience happen. Thanks to John Porcaro, Chris Paladino, and Tony Hynes for a great party last night in Toronto. Open bar, Guitar Hero II, getting to know community members, playing pre-released games on huge HDTVs made the event unforgettable (Forza 2, Shadowrun, Halo2 PC, Project Sylpheed, Guitar Hero II, Mad Tracks, Undertow, Track and Field).

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Here's another proof of gaming going mainstream phenomenon. Maxim's highly anticipated annual Hot 100 list of stunning (real) women included a virtual hottie from Second Life video game. On the radio Maxim directors said that they had to acknowledge the interests of multi-million user virtual community. From Hot 100 list editors:

Second Life—a 3-D virtual world that’s imagined, created, and owned by its online residents—was launched in 2003 and now boasts nearly five million inhabitants around the globe. Never taken part in the nerdfest? Isn’t she reason enough?

Too bad she wouldn't be able to attend the 2007 Hot 100 party by Maxim tonight in New York so we could see nice red carpet shots of her. (by the way it's 9 pm Eastern, the party is about to start, more event pics will pop up)

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

I'm really motivated to learn my new software of choice down to every nuance so I can be ready to contribute to the industry in the shortest period of time. Therefore I ordered first 2 issues of The Official Corel Painter Magazine. Launched in February 2007 (perfect timing) this is the only magazine in the world that's dedicated to the Corel Painter software.

The magazine's tutorials provide step-by-step instruction on how to achieve a certain artisticstyle, and there are targeted guides for tools and commands in the program, giving the readersa better understanding of the software. Regular features examine a creative topic each issueand the inspirational interviews give readers an insight into how professionals create theirjaw-dropping art.

My second book purchase was 'Digital Character Design and Painting' by Don Seegmiller as many artists have found it highly educational. Amazon.com reader's review:

This book is totally out of this world on the topic of character design. Very detailed and well thought out. I will definitely recommend it to designers and artists.

I've been listening to Hot 100 list commentaries by Maxim magazine directors on the radio. According to them, Lindsay, who is a full time tabloid troublemaker cover girl, is the hottest woman in the world. They said they took different factors, such as popularity and talents of the contestants into consideration (e.g. hot career wise). I think lists like that are always subjective so I wouldn't take it too seriously (on the other hand, movie producers cast roles based on this list, so it must be important for the industry) . The rest of the Hot 100 is available via Maxim's site. Oddly, they’ve chosen to make it pretty hard to navigate, I had to go through pages to get to number one for you:

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Being traditional artist for many years I always appreciated works done in all creative media and now I decided to officially expand my art to the beauty of digital realm. Geared up for some intense brush work I got equipped with the latest and greatest tools the industry has to offer. Here's the short review:

1. HP w2207 22" widescreen LCD monitor. w2207 vs. 226bw: released in April HP clearly has the edge in picture quality (eg. colors, detail, sharpness) due to gloss screen surface. I picked it over Samsung 226bw with same specs but mat finish which made colors look a bit washed out. w2207 may have reflections but as long as you are able to control the light in the workspace it won't bother you. Specs: refresh response time: 5 ms, display brightness: 300 cd/m2, contrast ratio: 1000:1: (great for Xbox 360 gaming too)

2. New Corel Painter X is the world's most powerful painting and illustration software - features unique digital brushes, art materials and textures that mirror the look and feel of their traditional counterparts (the imitation of a real brush was stunning). That's all I need basically:

3...and of course painting software works to the most of it's potential with Wacom Intuos3 Pen Tablet. With 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, you can control things like exposure, brush size, opacity, and more:

I'll write full review after I use products more, for now expect new gaming and erotic art to show up in my portfolio and poster gallery.

P.S. I just painted that RSS feed button on the top right as my first test. You can use it for free if you like with your image hosting.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Whether you have already spent the 800 MS points on Hidden Fronts Map Pack like I did or you'll be waiting for them till September you will definitely enjoy these neatly drawn overviews by aspiring designer Davidorff. Click on thumbnails: